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Jan McNulty

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Everything posted by Jan McNulty

  1. Some ideas from London Dance: http://londondance.com/articles/features/gifts-for-dance-lovers-2015/
  2. The Harrogate International Festival used to have a night of ballet. One year soloists from Stuttgart Ballet performed, including a very attractive work to Debussy's Bergamasque Suite.
  3. BRB had a choreographic workshop using Four Seasons and David Bintley choreographed a work with the same name a couple of years later. David Nixon uses Four Seasons and other music by Vivaldi in his Dangerous Liaisons.
  4. Lin, they may or may not have CPD but surely they must watch the news/current affairs and be aware that physical violence is not acceptable.
  5. Links - Tuesday 15 December, 2015 Review - Bolshoi Ballet, Legend of Love, Moscow: Janet Ward, Bachtrack Reviews - Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Sleeping Beauty, London: Graham Watts, London Dance GJ Dowler, Classical Source Anna Winter, Exeunt Review - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Memoria, Grace, Piazzolla Caldero, New York: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review - Andy de Groat | Catherine Galas, Get dancing programme, New York: Siobhan Burke, NY Times Feature/TV Preview - How Rudolf Nureyev danced to freedom: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Review - Bangarra Dance Theatre, Ochres, Sydney: Claudia Lawson, Fjord Review Review - Malandain Ballet Biarritz, La Belle et la Bête, Versailles: Laura Cappelle, FT Review - City Contemporary Dance Company, Soledad, Hong Kong: Natasha Rogai, South China Morning Post Review - Synetic, As You Like It, Arlington: Peter Marks, Washington Post Nutcracker Corner: Review - Royal Ballet, The Nutcracker, London: Lyndsey Winship, Standard Video feature - Lauren Cuthbertson prepares for Nutcracker: Tom Silverstone, Jess Gormley, Irene Baque, Guardian Review - American Ballet Theatre, The Nutcracker, Costa Mesa: Teresa Heiland, Bachtrack Review - Pennsylvania Ballet, The Nutcracker, Philadelphia: Lewis Whittington, Dance Journal Review - Portland Ballet, The Nutcracker, Portland: Jessica Lockhart, Portland Press Herald
  6. I sympathise with teachers and other staff who have to notice bullying and then take appropriate action. Except in instances where there is physical violence, bullies can often be very subtle with the way they operate. I was not bullied as a child but in my working life experienced 2 sustained periods of bullying. The first time it was by my line manager and I was so naive I just believed it was the way line managers behaved. At one point I could do not right and every draft I submitted was rejected with cutting comments. With one document I was so stressed that I sought advice from my friend. She found a document he had written on the same subject so I literally copied a couple of paragraphs. When he again rejected my draft, specifically commenting about the paragraphs I had copied from his document I finally realised he was a nasty vindictive bully. I was not his only victim and one of my colleagues left rather than face him anymore. The second time was when I was approaching the end of my career. It was a senior manager (but not my line manager). He was so subtle that I did not even realise I was being bullied until someone else said to me that she did not know why I put up with his behaviour. I was desperately unhappy in work but had not actually connected that with his behaviour. I would urge you, at the very least, to talk to the teacher as soon as possible. Bullying can have lifelong consequences. The first instance I described happened over 30 years ago and while it is at the back of my mind when I think about it, for example while reading this thread, it still causes me distress.
  7. NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR APPOINTED AT SCOTTISH BALLET The Board of Scottish Ballet is delighted to announce that Steven Roth, CEO of West Australian Ballet, has been newly appointed as Scottish Ballet’s Executive Director. Steven will take up his post at Scotland’s national dance company in March 2016. Commenting on the appointment, Scottish Ballet Chairman, Norman Murray said: “We are delighted that Steven will join Scottish Ballet in March 2016. We set out to secure an Executive Director who possesses the right blend of commerciality and leadership to support Chief Executive/Artistic Director Christopher Hampson and to compliment his visionary plans for the future.’’ In June 2015, Scottish Ballet announced the appointment of Christopher Hampson as Chief Executive/Artistic Director and that a recruitment process would begin for an Executive Director to strengthen the senior management team with a clear focus on strategic vision and commercial success of the organisation. “I am delighted that Steven is joining the team at Scottish Ballet after what has been an extensive recruitment process. He has the right combination of business acumen, leadership and management skills with many years of experience in the arts sector in Australia. I am looking forward to sharing our vision for the future and working closely with Steven to deliver the highest standard of dance at home and abroad alongside exemplary education and outreach work. We will also be expanding on potential commercial opportunities to continue to develop the future of Scotland’s national dance company.’’ Scottish Ballet’s CEO/Artistic Director Christopher Hampson On his appointment and move to Scotland, Steven added: “It is a great pleasure for me to be taking on the role of Executive Director of Scottish Ballet, and to work with CEO/ Artistic Director, Christopher Hampson, the board and staff to realise the vision and ambitions for the Company, whose progress I have followed for some time. Scottish Ballet has established an impressive reputation for its quality performances and adventurous programming and I am thrilled to have this opportunity. I have visited Scotland many times, and I now look forward to getting to know the company, our audiences and supporters.”
  8. A limited run including 6 performances at the Lowry, 4 in Sunderland and 6 in Plymouth as well as the Birmingham season! (Sorry to go o/t). If anyone has been at this afternoon's final performance I would love to hear about it!
  9. According to the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust website, the ballet was created in 1963 in Stockholm presumably for the Royal Swedish Ballet. http://www.antonytudor.org/ballets/echoing-of-trumpets.html IIRC it was London Festival Ballet I saw performing the work, which I remember finding very moving. Because I had seen the film Operation Daybreak and had then done a little reading up I was aware of the assassination of Heydrich and the massacre at Lidice. When my friend and I visited Prague in 1987 we went to seek out the church where the assassins had hidden. We were not able to go into the church but there were fresh flowers placed on one of the window embrasures; the memory of the massacre at Lidice still lived on then and presumably still does. Ballet can most definitely tackle difficult subjects effectively and appropriately.
  10. On one of the other threads with the same interminable discussion didn't someone find an interview with her where she said (IIRC and paraphrasing) that she couldn't commit full time to RB because of her family commitments in Berlin? We have been over this so often now I am disinclined to go and find the discussion in question. I am going to a Christmas lunch on Wednesday and if I am not too incapacitated I have decided to go to the live streaming, breaking the duck for me. (Well there is an incentive!).
  11. From my recollection they usually send something out around about the time the programmes go on sale to the general public.
  12. Fiz, I think we have had this (fruitless) discussion on several other threads. I hate to say it but the members on this site and other social media are probably not the majority of ballet watchers and perhaps there are many people out there who adore her without going into print on the internet.
  13. When I first started processing the press releases, we often used to get similar from the RB - not so much recently.
  14. 52 Portraits 52 Portraits is an online project created by choreographer Jonathan Burrows, composer Matteo Fargion and video maker Hugo Glendinning, which will release a short gestural portrait of a different dancer each week throughout 2016. 52 Portraits is supported and produced by Sadler’s Wells, and will launch on Monday 4 January 2016. The subjects of the portraits will be drawn from the vibrant UK dance scene, as well as from international companies visiting Sadler's Wells during the course of the year. Each portrait will be a very personal dance, filmed sitting at a table and accompanied by a song based on their autobiography, inspired by a tune of their choice. Participants will be of all ages, disciplines and cultural backgrounds, including both well-known performers, makers and younger artists. 52 Portraits builds on the success of the Olivier Award-nominated The Elders Project, made by Burrows and Fargion in 2014 for the Elixir Festival at Sadler's Wells. The portraits aim to capture the profound, funny and surprising power of the subjects, revealing the stories, thoughts and struggles of dancers in an unprecedented way. The creators of 52 Portraits describe the project as an epic love song written to an art form. Viewers can subscribe to the project at www.52portraits.co.uk. Previews Links to previews of the films can be found below: http://52portraits.co.uk/home/2015/12/11/robert-cohan-preview http://52portraits.co.uk/home/2015/12/11/hetain-patel-preview http://52portraits.co.uk/home/2015/12/11/tim-etchells http://52portraits.co.uk/home/2015/12/11/vicki-igbokwe NOTES TO EDITORS: ABOUT THE CREATORS Jonathan Burrows has worked with composer Matteo Fargion for twenty five years, building an ongoing body of work that continues to tour widely internationally. The two men are co-produced by Kaaitheater Brussels, PACT Zollverein Essen, Sadler's Wells Theatre London and BIT Teatergarasjen Bergen, and are currently in- house artists at the Nightingale Brighton. Burrows is a visiting member of faculty at P.A.R.T.S Brussels and has also been Guest Professor at universities in Berlin, Gent, Giessen, Hamburg and London. ‘A Choreographer's Handbook’ has sold over 8,000 copies since its publication in 2010, and is available from Routledge Publishing. Matteo Fargion is a composer, performer and teacher. He studied with Kevin Volans and Howard Skempton, and his music has been performed by leading players worldwide. Matteo has worked in dance and theatre for many years, collaborating with choreographers and directors both in the UK and abroad. Including his ongoing work with Jonathan Burrows, he has collaborated several times as composer and performer with Siobhan Davies, and with Thomas Ostermeier at the Schaubühne Berlin. Matteo is currently curating the opening programme for the Dance On company in Berlin, with newly commissioned work from Ivo Dimchev, Tim Etchells, Hetain Patel, Lucy Suggate, Etienne Guilloteau and Beth Gill. Hugo Glendinning has been working as a photographer and film maker for twenty nine years, with an output stretching across the cultural industries from art collaborations, through production and performance documentation to portrait work. He has worked with most leading British theatre and dance companies, and has collaborated in particular for many years with Tim Etchells and Forced Entertainment Theatre Company. He has helped many international visual artists to realise projects, including Matthew Barney, Paola Pivi and Yinka Shonibare, and his recordings of performances both for camera and public performances, are in private collections and museums around the world. ABOUT SADLER’S WELLS Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance house, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding, the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005 it has helped to bring over 90 new dance works to the stage and its award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour internationally. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through hosting the National Youth Dance Company, its Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates. Located in Islington, north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells. Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 10% of its revenue from Arts Council England.
  15. Well, I've booked my 2016 tickets!! I would like to have booked another performance or two to catch different casts this year but I have dithered too much and couldn't get anything decent for the dates I wanted. Sad news for me but great news for BRB that the tickets have sold so well.
  16. IMHO all critics are prejudiced. One thing about the links is that you can get a cross-section of reviews. As Marcus Aurelius said: "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."
  17. Just clicked on the link and it's still working for me.
  18. It seems to be coming more and more common. At the Lowry, Sunderland and Plymouth booking usually opens for the next season during the current run. I was speaking to one of the FOH staff on Tuesday and he told me that they have been following this policy with the panto for several years now.
  19. 1984 is timeless and as relevant today as when it was written. Perhaps that could be a way of addressing some current issues. Again both Ghost Dances and Swan Song are still (sadly) relevant to issues within the world today. Christopher Bruce also choreographed Land about the then military junta in Poland. Not quite global warming but David Bintley's Still Life at the Penguin Cafe was about the extinction of species. Same sex relationship - David Nixon's Swan Lake for Northern Ballet! I think many of the choreographers of the 20th century have looked to the present or recent past. I'm thinking of works like Tudor's Echoing of Trumpets and Jooss' Green Table.
  20. And the press release has just come in: News Announcement Thursday 10 December 2015 First Soloist Ricardo Cervera will make his last appearance as a dancer with The Royal Ballet on 12 December after 22 years with the Company. His final performance will be as Hans-Peter in The Nutcracker, he will continue in his role as Assistant Ballet Master. Cervera has performed a broad range of repertory since joining The Royal Ballet in 1993, from the 19th-century classics and 20th-century heritage ballets by Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan to contemporary works by the Company’s associated choreographers Wayne McGregor, Christopher Wheeldon and Liam Scarlett. Born in Malaga, Cervera grew up in Torremolinos and trained at The Royal Ballet Upper School before joining the Company in 1993. He was promoted to First Artist in 1996, Soloist in 1999 and First Soloist in 2002. He was appointed Assistant Ballet Master in 2014 and trained as a répétiteur on the Frederick Ashton Foundation’s mentoring scheme. Director Kevin O’Hare says, ‘Ricardo has been a wonderful member of the Company for more than two decades and has given outstanding performances in a variety of roles from the drama of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and Lescaut in Manon to the exuberance of Colas in La Fille mal gardée and Hans-Peter in The Nutcracker. He featured memorably as Hans-Peter in our Nutcracker DVD so it seems fitting that we should see him in this signature role at his final performance. We look forward to him continuing to work closely with us on the artistic faculty.’
  21. I was at both performances yesterday, While Nutcracker is not a favourite of mine, I absolutely adore this opulent production. The transformation scene has got to be absolutely the best ever! At the first production I saw of this run (Kevin O'Hare was the Nutcracker Prince) the audience all started cheering at the transformation scene and 25 years later I still feel like doing that! The moment when King Rat appears in the fire sends shivers of joy down my spine every time! It took me years to realise how one of Drosselmeyer's tricks worked! I like the fact that Clara's Mum is an ex-ballerina and there is more dancing for the party guests and the children than you see in many productions. There is so much attention to detail that makes the characters in Act 1 real and make the story believable. I love the butler checking all the details for the party and making sure all is secure at the end of it. It is one of those things that you have to suspend belief that Clara can have a boyfriend but still be interested in dolls but there is one tiny touch that just makes it so real. When she is dancing with her dancing partner and they start to move apart he goes to kiss her hand and she pulls away. You can see she is not quite ready to have a boyfriend but realisation comes with the Nutcracker Prince. In the afternoon we were treated to a scintillating performance from Laura Day as Clara, Chi Cao as Nutcracker and Arancha Baselga as Sugarplum. Laura was a delight as Clara. Chi is such an elegant and musical classical dancer, it is always such a pleasure to watch him and yesterday was no exception. Arancha is sublime as Sugarplum; her dancing of the role has a lush softness to it. She and Chi were terrific together in the gpdd. Tzu-Chao Chou was scintillating as Clara's dancing partner. James Barton was fabulous as the Jack-in-a-box and Valentin Olovyannikov brought a sinister edge to Drosselmeyer. The evening turned out to be an especial treat. Laura Purkiss has just the right touch as Clara. She absolutely inhabited the role. Brandon Lawrence was her dashing Nutcracker Prince. Their glorious duet before the snowflakes was breath-taking and very exciting to watch. This duet is so beautiful that I always fail to notice the set changing from the giant tree to the snowflake scene. Brandon just fills the stage with his presence. Yijing Zhang was making her debut as Sugarplum and she was absolutely radiant. She and Brandon were fabulous together. Max Maslen was a superb dancing partner for Clara and I loved Lewis Turner as Drosselmeyer's assistant. All in all two glorious performances from a company performing at the top of its game!
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